Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.5

The Chemical Brothers: Don't Think Blu-ray Movie Review

This is your brain on The Chemical Brothers.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman March 29, 2012

Evidently none other than a certain Ms. Madonna Louise Ciccone has stirred up a little controversy (I know, I know— next to impossible to believe) by asking attendees at a concert of hers if they “knew Molly”. For those who aren’t firmly in the manic stream of today’s zeitgeist, Molly is a euphemism for the drug Ecstasy, and Madonna’s querying of her audience has been seen by some as a tacit approval of drug use. Certain “culture warriors” on a certain American cable channel are up in arms over Madonna, now a not exactly spring chicken-ish 53, exhorting her fans, if not to actual drug use, to at least admitting to using a drug. Of course there’s a reason that that oft-quoted triumvirate that includes sex and rock ‘n’ roll also mentions illicit substances, even if the halcyon days of the sixties and seventies have given way to perhaps more circumspect if no less ubiquitous use of “enhancements.” It’s probably not worth arguing as to how many of the vast assortment of people in attendance at this Japan performance of The Chemical Brothers are in fact on drugs, but the ironic thing is none of them really needs to be, for the outright hallucinogenic ambience of this show must simply be seen to be believed (and perhaps not even then). Despite being comprised on only two members, Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons, The Chemical Brothers put out an awesome array of sound and are one of the few duos that also crafts absolutely gigantic, arena-ready stage shows, something that is completely in evidence on Don’t Think. Directed by their longtime collaborator Adam Smith (I’m pretty sure he’s not the same as the economist and philosopher), Don’t Think is a virtually nonstop assault on the senses, big beat music set to an array of psychedelia that should have those of a certain age flashing back fondly to younger days while keeping those in the under 30 crowd completely entranced with a barrage of weird and wonderful imagery.

It might be almost unfair to mention the music in a concert film this staggeringly visual, and truth be told as fantastically enjoyable as The Chemical Brothers are, their approach is often so drone like and trance inducing that their “tunes” (for want of a better word) become almost like sleek sonic wallpaper, albeit wallpaper with a hell of a kick. What is so innovative and outrageous about Don’t Think is the sheer visual audacity on display, one that blossoms like the fevered dream of some LSD-infused visionary spewing out hallucinations literally onto hordes of adoring fans. While Tom and Ed fidget and twist and slide in their onstage fortress of synthesizer solitude, around, behind and above them huge projections burst into view that then seem to reach out and touch the audience itself.

What’s really fascinating here, beyond even the swirling, pulsating visuals, is the seeming groupthink (or perhaps group-don’t-think) on display here. Over and over again Smith cuts to audience members completely hypnotized by what they’re seeing and hearing. Jaws slightly agape, eyes wide in awe and faces frozen in gazes of wonder and appreciation. Some of these people do indeed to be under the influence of something or other, with a couple of funny moments caught, including one person who looks like they’re trying to “swim” through the light show.

Several hallucinogens or quasi-hallucinogens are noted for their ability to erase boundaries, whether those boundaries be between the senses or indeed between individual people. There’s certainly an element of synaesthesia to Don’t Think, but just as evident is the loosening of personal consciousness, as tens of thousands of people seem to assimilate sight and sound almost through osmosis, approaching some sort of group nirvana. The thumping big beats of The Chemical Brothers may in fact only be the frontal assault that allows the incredible visuals of this concert to circumvent the defenses of the rational brain and penetrate directly to something that has no better name than the soul.

The Chemical Brothers perform the following songs:

Intro (Tomorrow Never Knows – Performed by Junior Parker

Another World

Do It Again

Get Yourself High

Horse Power

Chemical Beats

Swoon

Star Guitar

Three Little Birdies Down Beats

Hey Boy Hey Girl

Don’t Think

Out of Control

Setting Sun

It Doesn’t Matter

Saturate

Believe

Escape Velocity/The Golden Path

Superflash

Leave Home/Galvanize

Block Rockin’ Beats

The Chemical Brothers: Don't Think Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Chemical Brothers: Don't Think is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Astralwerks Records with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. Considering the challenges posed by an outdoor shoot in what is reported to have been unsettled weather, in a teeming mass of tens of thousands, this is a decently sharp and nicely detailed looking outing, within certain limits. It must be accepted up front that this concert was filmed in the dead of night with weird lighting and bizarre visuals, meaning any attempt to report on typical items like accurate color become something of a joke. What is on display here is some very nicely rendered projection material without much artifacting of any import to report, often tied to weirdly shaded shots of faces in the audience. Occasionally the cameras wend their way through the crowds and break free of being completely surrounded, at which time the imagery becomes a bit sharper, if only because any individual camera isn't being crowded by tons of people pressing in on it. There are the typical bugaboos here of many recent concert videos, with some quasi-posterizing on deeply saturated blues and reds and some banding which is only exacerbated by having lights shining through dry ice fog on the stage.

The Chemical Brothers: Don't Think Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

If you put aside any preconceptions about that little item referred to as dynamic range, The Chemical Brothers: Don't Think's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 audio option is reference quality, especially with regard to its awesome, floorboard shaking low end, which pulses out of the surrounds and subwoofer in waves of vibrational fury. All frequency ranges are expertly rendered here, with clarity and precision, and there is also some very nice discrete channelization at work with individual synth effects. There is some crowd noise which impinges on the proceedings from time to time, but thankfully it's mixed fairly far back, even when the cameras are down in and among the masses. There is frankly no dynamic range to speak of, however, simply because the playlist here is set to "11" (in the immortal words of Spinal Tap) right off the bat and simply stays there for the entire concert.

The Chemical Brothers: Don't Think Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Bonus CD contains the following tracks:

Another World
Do It Again
Get Yourself High
Horse Power
Chemical Beats
Swoon
Star Guitar
Three Little Birdies Down Beats
Hey Boy Hey Girl
Don't Think
Out of Control
Setting Sun
Saturate
Believe
Escape Velocity
The Golden Path
Superflash
Leave Home
Galvanize
Block Rockin' Beats

The Chemical Brothers: Don't Think Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Chemical Brothers: Don't Think is an astounding concert performance by any measure. Some may not like the drug infused ambience or indeed the relentless thump and drone of the music itself, but this is such an unusual outing that anyone who is tired of live performances which take place on a proscenium stage—in an arena or otherwise—with tired laser light effects and silly pyrotechnics, is more than likely going to love the uniqueness of this outing. Adam Smith directs with his usual aplomb, bringing a huge variety of inventive visual effects to the proceedings (I'm still trying to figure out how they did the little bug projections that appear all over the audience, including on the ground, seemingly from a great distance away from the stage where one would think the light batteries must have resided). Though supplements are limited to a bonus CD, the video quality here is excellent (with appropriate expectations as mentioned above) and the audio quality is outstanding. Highly recommended.